6. It is a small town with excellent TRANSPORTATION. I don't like the expense of owning a car. (More honestly, I can't afford to own a car. I don't like cars. I don't like driving them or riding in them. They can be scary.) I prefer to walk so I can feel closer to the natural world. I take buses when I have to go too far to walk. They run every fifteen minutes and the bus stop is just a short walk from my house. They cost around fifty cents. I like to ride with the Mexicans. Sometimes a musician will serenade us on the bus ride. Lots of fun. Children curiously stare at me. I take photos of their lovely faces. Not a lot of North Americans or Canadians take advantage of the bus system. They have cars. When I talk about North Americans, I am also including Canadians. Right now there are far more Canadians here than North Americans. I don't know why. Maybe Canadians are more adventurous? Or colder in the winter up there?
If I need a taxi, the fare is around five dollars for anywhere in this area and less than thirty to go into the airport in Guadalajara. It just takes half an hour to get there. I love to walk and this is a beautiful town for walking. There is so much beauty here. People on the streets are friendly and say Buenos Dias or Hi. I am getting to know people here. We sometimes stop and talk...... I have much freedom of movement here. Everything is close and easily reached. I live in the center of Ajijic and I can walk along the water to the Lake Chapala Society or the wharf or restaurants. I take lots of photos on these walks. I know they are repetitive but I can't resist the beauty of the water, sky and mountains.
7. It is easy for me to travel back and forth to the States from here. The Guadalajara airport is easily reached and there are daily flights in and out of there. In a few hours I can be back to my mobile home in Red Bluff, which unfortunately, hasn't sold yet. I can reach my family in Portland in about the same amount of time. Guadalajara is the second largest city in Mexico. So much to do there. I haven't even started exploring that area yet. There are hourly buses into Guadalajara from here for just a few dollars. My family can come down here quickly from their busy lives in Portland. They love the Guadalajara area, I think, more than here by the lake. They are younger, more active and adventurous than I am. I am easily satisfied just to stay here.
8. This is getting long. I will try to shorten it. The SOCIAL LIFE here. Top of the list is the Lake Chapala Society. It is the center for the North American community. I am an avid reader. I read three or four books a week, sometimes more. I have never been in a community in a foreign Country where I could get good books in English. They are in the library here. There is also a good video library. The gardens are beautiful. I have many photos on my blog of the gardens at the LCS. I like to go to the coffee shop on the grounds and sit and talk with people. It is a great way to spend a few hours. They have lectures, classes, social functions, health and legal resources and trips to places of interest. I volunteer there when it comes time for signing up new members. I am devoted to the LCS.
9. LIVE MUSIC. My favorite kind of music is Latin Jazz. Next are the Mexican love songs. I could listen to love songs played by a mariachi band all day. As a matter of fact I have spent many days doing that. My favorite thing to do is listen to live music and it is everywhere here. If you don't like loud music, don't come to Mexico. Especially don't come to Mexico during Mexican holidays.... Musicians play on the buses, in the plazas, in front of stores, in restaurants, on the street, at your front door for your birthday. There is no getting away from musicians here. I love it. And them.
10. THE FOOD. Mexican food is my favorite kind of food. There are many great restaurants here and the prices are reasonable, sometimes cheaper than a meal at a fast food restaurant in the States (if you call that greasy food a meal.) The markets are filled with farm fresh fruits and vegetables. I can buy a week's worth of food for around twenty dollars. What's not to like about that? I feel wealthy here because I love to eat good food.
These are just MY reasons. A single man my age might come here because of cheap beer and beautiful, gullible young Mexican women. A much older person might come here for the inexpensive help with daily living or the inexpensive board and care homes or the skilled nursing homes. Artists might come here to paint. Others might come here for the inexpensive plastic surgery. There are so many reasons to come to this area. I have mentioned only a few. I am sure by tomorrow I will think of ten more reasons.
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